'Whoo!' Data guru warns 'rural revolt' is turning 'field of dreams' into Trump nightmare
President Donald Trump is facing a "rural revolt" as a result of his policies, according to a new data analysis.
The soon-to-be-80-year-old president was re-elected in 2024 on his promise to improve the economy, but voters aren't happy with the job he's done so far, and many of his policies are directly hurting farmers and voters in the rural areas that have backed him in all three elections.
"Iowa has beentraditionally a field of dreamsfor the president of United States," said CNN's Harry Enten. "But it's quicklyturning into potentially a fieldof nightmares. There seems to bea rural revolt going on in thiscountry against Donald Trump.Take a look here: Rural votersand Trump, look, according to Fox News, he was easily winning themback in October of 2024 versus Kamala Harris, 18 points ahead. The exit poll even had it abigger margin."
"But look at wherehe is now – whoo!" Enten exclaimed. "Down thereunderwater, underneath thecornfields. He's now 14 pointsunderwater. That's over a 30-point switcheroo against thepresident."
The explanation for that reversal is fairly simple, according to Enten.
"Simply put, it's theeconomy, it's inflation," he said. "Take alook at this: You thought thatthat switcheroo was big, howabout this one? Rural voters on Trump and inflation versus Kamala Harris. He was moretrusted by 37 points. Now he is19 points underwater with ruralvoters on inflation. That is anover 50-point switcheroo againstthe president of the United States. Rural voters, like therest of the country, turningagainst Trump on the key issuethat got him elected to a secondterm back in 2024."
Anger at the president has flowed down ballot to Republican congressional candidates and gubernatorial races, Enten said.
"You know, Donald Trump went and he has wonall of these primaries," he said. "Thecandidates he endorsed have wonall of these primaries, did nothappen in Iowa. Well, just talkabout Iowa Republicans here. Thegubernatorial primary heendorsed Randy Feenstra,congressman from Iowa, and Feenstra actually won theabsentee vote in that state by15 points. Trump endorsed late,but the other candidate, Zach Lahn, look at this, heactually won those who voted on Election Day who knew about Trump's endorsement. In fact,they were considerably morefavorable to Lahn than they werein a Feenstra, even afterknowing that Trump had, in fact,backed Feenstra."
"It seemed to methat Iowa Republicans said, 'Youknow what, we hear you, Donald Trump, but you know what? We'redismissing that message,' again,part of a larger picture in my mind of rural voters not tuningin to what Donald Trump istelling him at this point," Enten added.
That shift against Trump is boosting Democratic chances in the midterm elections, Enten said.
"The last Democratto win a Senate race in Iowa wasall the way back in 2008," Enten said. "It was Tom Harkin.But what do we see here in termsof the Democrats' chances in Iowaand the governor's race and the Senate race? They have gone uplike a rocket. We're now talkingabout Rob Sands running forgovernor with a greater than 50 percentchance, and it turns out that Josh Turek, who the Democraticestablishment wanted, hischances have also beenconsiderably rising at thispoint."
"If all of a sudden you'reable to put Iowa on the board,if you're a Democrat hoping towin back control of the United States Senate, that would be amassive piece of the puzzle, andthe last time Iowa elected a Democratic governor was all theway back in 2006, and that lookslike a more likely possibility than not," Enten added.
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